As is well known to persons skilled in the art the desktop personal computer has a large form factor. The desktop personal computer includes components such as, a power supply, a microprocessor, memory, storage drives such as, hard disk drives and removable media drives, and logic for controlling standard peripherals such as, keyboards and mouse input devices.
The desktop personal computer also includes option card slots for one or more of the personal computer's standard option cards, such as, Peripheral Component Interconnect ("PCI"), Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture ("EISA"), and Industry Standard Architecture ("ISA") cards. The PCI, EISA and ISA option cards can be; for example, display(monitor) controller cards, memory controller cards, or hard disk drive controller cards. The desktop personal computer's power supply also requires a transformer and because the power supply has heat-generating parts, a fan can also be required.
Reconfiguring the desktop personal computer is not easy. Replacing, adding or removing a PCI, EISA, or ISA option card requires opening the desktop personal computer. It is also necessary to open the desktop personal computer to replace a defective component, such as a power supply or fan, or to remove, add or replace a storage drive.
The desktop personal computer can be required to be moved, for example; between offices, to a computer store for service or to a college dormitory. The desktop personal computer can not be easily moved because it is bulky, heavy and has a large form factor.
Another disadvantage of the desktop personal computer is its large footprint. The desktop personal computer's large footprint limits the workspaces on which the desktop personal computer can be used.
The personal computer's components have been miniaturized in order to provide lightweight, non-bulky, small form factor, mobile personal computers. Miniaturized components include the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association ("PCMCIA") option cards, also known as PC Cards and storage devices. Unlike standard desktop personal computer option cards such as, PCI, EISA and ISA option cards PC Cards are easily added, replaced or removed, without opening the mobile personal computer.
Although mobile personal computers have a smaller form factor, are lightweight and non-bulky and the option cards are easy to reconfigure, mobile computers lack some of the functionality of desktop personal computers, for example, mobile personal computers have a small number of option card slots. Also, because mobile personal computers can operate from a battery they are influenced by the requirement for low power consumption. To provide low power consumption, mobile personal computers use low speed components, such as memory and microprocessors. Therefore, mobile personal computers can have lower performance than desktop personal computers.
Mobile personal computers support standard personal computer peripherals such as, detached keyboards, mouse input devices and displays(monitors), but there is redundancy because mobile personal computers also have integrated peripherals such as keyboards, mouse input devices and displays.
Personal computer users requiring the functionality of a desktop personal computer and the mobility of a mobile personal computer require a mobile personal computer and a desktop personal computer. The disadvantages of requiring a mobile personal computer and a desktop personal computer include the cost of the personal computers and having to transfer data between the personal computers.
Therefore, what is required is an easily reconfigured semi-mobile desktop personal computer, with the small form factor, small footprint, lightweight, non-bulky features of a mobile personal computer and the functionality of a desktop personal computer.